Mediacom announces new high-speed internet programs to connect low-income households

Mediacom office
Mediacom's offices at 6300 Council St. NE in Cedar Rapids. CREDIT RICHARD PRATT

Mediacom Communications has announced its participation in the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a new program designed to help more Americans lower the monthly cost of home internet service.

The ACP is administered by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Qualifying households can receive a credit of up to $30 off their monthly internet service bill. Eligibility is defined by the FCC and targets households with income less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or that participate in government programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, WIC and Lifeline.

To maximize the ACP benefit, Mediacom has launched a new internet service called Connect2Compete-Plus (C2C+) with a $30 per month price including modem and unlimited data for qualifying households. The new C2C+ tier delivers internet download speeds of up to 50 Mbps and is one of many speed options available to customers who participate in the ACP.

“With more people than ever before working and studying from home due to the COVID pandemic, access to high-speed broadband is a necessity for most families,” said Ed Pardini, Mediacom’s senior vice president of field operations. “By participating in ACP and launching C2C+, we hope to provide more opportunities for low-income households to get and stay connected to the internet.”

Recent federal legislation created the ACP to replace the temporary Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program. Mediacom enrolled more than 13,000 households in the EBB program during 2021. Existing EBB customers will continue to receive monthly benefits of up to $50 per month through March 1. Mediacom is working with its EBB customers to transition them into the ACP.

The ACP benefit is available to both new and existing Mediacom customers who qualify.  Households interested in participating in the ACP must confirm eligibility through the Affordable Connectivity Website and can then enroll in the program.